1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a laboratory system well suited for use in photographic film processing laboratories (inclusive of photography stores capable of providing developing and printing services), a method of controlling the operation of such a system, a playback apparatus primarily placed in the home of the customer (user), a method of playback using this apparatus, and a film image management method using this system and apparatus.
The invention further relates to a copying system and method for transferring image data from a "source" recording medium to another recording medium or "destination" recording medium and recording the image data on the destination recording medium. The source recording medium may be a photographic film, a semiconductor memory on which image data read from a photographic film has been stored, a memory card (or memory cartridge) on which image data obtained by photography using a digital still-video camera has been stored, or a recording medium (optical disk, magneto-optical disk, magnetic disk, optical tape, magnetic tape, etc.) on which an image file (a collection of image data representing a plurality of images) has been stored. The destination recording medium may be an optical disk, magneto-optical disk, magnetic disk, optical tape, magnetic tape, semiconductor memory, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to obtain developed photographic film and prints, an ordinary user takes exposed undeveloped film to a processing laboratory and the laboratory develop the film and print the images from the developed film on photographic paper to produce photographs. The user takes the developed film and printed photographs home from the laboratory.
Depending upon user preference, the film and photographs are kept as by being pasted in an album or placed in bags or envelopes in a specific order or without being put in order.
If extra prints are required, the user takes the film to the laboratory and informs the operator of the laboratory of the frame numbers of the extra prints desired, the number of prints of each frame and various other conditions.
Thus, management of film and photographs generally is a manual operation performed by both the user and laboratory and is a very troublesome task. Since frames to be printed for extra copies must be selected while looking at the film, the ordering of extra prints also is a troublesome task.
It is contemplated to use a film scanner to read the image of each frame recorded on developed photographic film (negative film or positive film), convert the image of each frame to digital image data and record the digital image data on a disk-like recording medium (such as an optical disk or magnetic disk). The disk-like recording medium can be played back by a player in the possession of (or capable of being utilized by) the user. Configurations presently being contemplated include one (automatic playback) in which images represented by image data that has been recorded on a disk-like recording medium are simply displayed on a display device in the order in which the images were recorded, and one (manual playback) in which the images of frames designated by the user are displayed on a display device.
New photographic film having elongated band-shaped information recording zones each comprising a transparent magnetic material has been studied. Information (IX1) pertaining to each roll of film and information (IX2) pertaining to each frame on the film can be recorded on the photographic film. Sufficient consideration has not yet been given to how such information may be fully exploited.
Conventional photographic film is available in a 12-, 24- and 36-exposure format, by way of example. Photographs often are preserved in units of the number of frames on the film (or in units of the number of rolls of film). For instance, photographs of field days, summer festivals and family excursions are taken on one or several rolls of film. Accordingly, photographs often are managed film by film.
Similarly, with regard to a memory card loaded in a digital still-video camera in order to record digital image data representing images captured by the camera, the image data often is managed in memory-card units, namely card by card.
The management of image data that has been recorded on other portable recording media (floppy disks, etc.) also often is performed in units of the recording media. In a case where images of a plurality of image files have been saved on one recording medium, the recording medium would be managed as a large classification unit and the image files would be managed as small classification units.
An image is based upon the sense of sight and is recorded in the human brain as one type of pattern. The pattern is remembered by a human being with the event (the aforesaid field day, summer festival, etc.) that gave rise to the image serving as a key. The reason for this is that one or a plurality of portable image recording media (films, memory cards and other media) are created for each event. Accordingly, by adopting a medium on which an image has been recorded first as the unit of image management, retrieval at a later date is facilitated.
It is required that an image or image data that has been stored on such a portable recording medium be preserved by being copied to a recording medium having a larger capacity. The purpose of this is to keep the image data from a plurality of recording media at a single location.